Homeless and Hurting to Truly Thriving

HOMELESS AND HURTING TO TRULY THRIVING

Imagine traveling over 8,000 miles from Somalia to the United States when you were about 10 years old. Growing up you had dreams of coming to America to live a prosperous life. Instead, you got dealt the tough cards of life and ended up moving around with no stability. You’re homeless. As life goes on you start navigating a dark stormy road, adapting bad habits leading to drug and alcohol abuse. One day you are walking along the interstate, drunk, and get hit by a semi. Then what?

That’s where the New Life Center (NLC) in Fargo, ND comes into play. The paragraph above is based on a true story. NLC took the man in and cared for him through one of their many programs. It wasn’t an easy road to recovery for him. He was in and out of the NLC, but always came back because he knew it was a place where people cared about him. Christianity is a huge part of the center and helping guests get back on their feet. Executive Director of New Life Center, Rob Swiers, says their main goal is to, “help individuals who are homeless and hurting go from merely surviving to truly thriving.” And that’s exactly what helped turn the man’s life around. Now he recognizes he has value and is working for NLC to encourage others to turn their lives around in a positive manner. Swiers says, “He has the ability to connect with the guys on a level I can’t.”

What makes NLC different than other shelters? Well first it’s a rescue mission. Meaning it’s not just a shelter for men to spend the night and fill their belly with a meal. NLC is a place where lives are changed. Employees make the extra effort to really put their time and energy into transforming lives. NLC has continued their tradition of caring for the homeless community around them for 111 years. When men utilize the center, basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing are provided. They serve mostly single males who are 18 and older; but feed and clothe men, women, and children.

New Life Center relies heavily on volunteers to help sort, organize, and clean items in the thrift store.

Anyone is welcome to grab a bite to eat with their meals program. With their new Campaign of Excellence, a fundraiser to raise money to fund the building transformation, there have been a lot of construction workers on site. When Swiers says anyone can eat here, he really does mean anyone. “The construction guys thought we were joking when I said they could come eat.”

There are a variety of different programs NLC offers. The first program men take part in is the Harbor Program. During the first 30 days guests discover value in themselves and ultimately findhope in a stable environment. After completing the Harbor Program, they can apply for the long-term Passport Program. Passport addresses the issues that led them to homelessness and provides them with knowledge to guide them into more permanent housing.

NLC is on a journey to go from being a one-dimensional organization to a multifaceted emergency, crisis and life-transformation center. “Homelessness is very destructive. It tears down selfworth, and the ability to manage simple tasks in order. It’s just amazing what it does in a negative sense, the destructive way,” says Swiers. A new and improved facility will allow guests to reach a state of overall well-being.

NLC has big plans to provide an after-care program sometime in 2019. This program will not only help the people during their time at NLC, but help them stay successful when they move into housing. “We need to help them find new community. If all the folks they know are the same ones when they were homeless, chances are they’re going to go back to bad behavior,” says Swiers. “We want to connect them to another healthy community.”

Rob Swiers, Executive Director explains the impact the New Life Center has on the community to Sara Erickson, CCEC employee.

You can help make a difference in your community by simply going onto their website fargonlc.org and donating directly, find information on how to volunteer, or donate items to their thrift store. “Everybody can do something,” says Swiers. We all ramp up our giving during the holidays and organizations like the NLC are thankful, but just remember the need never goes away – they always need help.

The NLC serves 224 plates of food on an average day!